Apologies for the delay in updating you all with my progress and current status. As Im sure you are all aware, upon my return from Mexico I was faced with the biggest set back I will most likely ever see in my racing career. This is why its taken me so much time to make the decisions of what my next move should be and what the right thing to do is.
I would firstly like to thank all of you for your help and support through this seasons racing. I have been extremely lucky to be invited to some of the worlds most renown races and its thanks to all of you that made this possible.
The season started off well with a win in Falmouth at the Urban Downhill event then my focus and training changed dramatically with the build up to the Megavalanche in Alpe D’huez. It was great to have all of my sponsors backing going into an event like that one because of the equipment and nutritional changes I would personally have to make. A result came from the Qualifying round where I started in the back row of 100 riders and made it up to 9th place. This was the target we had set as it then meant that I could compete in the Pro race on the Sunday with the worlds best riders.
It all seemed to be going so well until approximately 5km from the end where the mud got so deep that all riders had to dismount and run through, I slipped in the mud snapping my Anterior Cruciate and Medial Collateral Ligaments. I fought through the pain peddling with one leg to the finish to place 89th overall. Not a good day!
Upon returning to England I raced in several of the smaller events in the UK but was adapting my training and riding yet again in preparation for the Urban Downhill World Championship Final in Mexico. I made a school boy error after just a few seconds on my very first practice run that saw me hit the ground braking my right hand. There are no words to explain how disappointed I was.
I headed back to the hotel to rest for the rest of the day and prepare for racing qualifying the following day on the worlds most extreme course with a broken hand having not even seen the course, so virtually blind. This was extremely painful and I could hardly hold onto the handle bars. I hit the huge drop but couldn’t hold on so wiped out in big style, the crowd loved it! I then made my way over the last few jumps and crossed the line, my Mexico trip was over. I was in too much pain to compete in to actual race.
I arrived back in Dorset after the long journey home and went straight to A&E to get my hand put in plaster. I had to go back to hospital a week later for an operation to put a bolt through the two broken pieces of bone to hold them in place.
Bolt through Broken Hand
After this, I then saw my knee Surgeon to discuss what to do with my knee, he said I need a double ligament operation which requires using a graft from the hamstring in my good leg. I am now waiting to have this operation and have been since July.
My time at the moment is being spent on static bikes and with Jan my sports therapist who is also going to be a huge part of my rehab programme through the winter. I will keep you all posted on my progress and my next event of course.
So all in all, this year has seen its ups and downs, mainly downs. I now have a reputation of finishing the big events regardless of what parts of my body are broken! But rest assured that I have seen my fair share of bad luck this year which means 2015 will surely be the year for top results…
Thanks again for your continuous support, don’t forget to follow me @benmooreracing on Twitter, Ben Moore Racing on Facebook and Instagram and also www.benmooreracing.co.uk